The Boyfriend List
by icefire-lioness
Summary: Victoire is a girl on a mission. Or...well...a slightly slow-to-start mission, anyway. Because there's only a certain amount of planning that can go into this particular one, and she hasn't done any. Vic/Teddy.


_**AN**: Written for a challenge on SAYS (Hekate101's One Sentence Challenge). Also for the banner. Hope you enjoy!_

-

Victoire knew what she wanted. She always knew what she wanted. Getting it…well, that wasn't a different thing, either, because she always _got_ what she wanted, too. Or at least, usually she did. It was all getting very confusing, this wanting and getting and whether or not she could or did or…anyway.

She was sixteen; sixteen whole years of alone. When you are sixteen, Victoire reasoned, you are meant to have a boyfriend. Or you are meant to have _had_ a boyfriend. Neither of which applied to her, as of yet, anyway. But she was going to change that, because like mum always said, it was just a matter of figuring out what you wanted, and then getting it. Of course, Fleur always did get what she wanted, because she was Fleur. And although Victoire was her daughter, she was also Bill's, which made her half-Weasley, which made her red-headed and…well…a bit reminiscent of a spider.

But that wasn't the point. The point was, Victoire knew what she wanted, and she knew she would get it, and she knew _how _she would get it (except she didn't, really, because she'd never gotten a boyfriend before) and she knew who it was going to be. Teddy Lupin.

She'd made a list of possible boyfriends, because she thought it was a logical thing, really. Then, of course, the list was only quite small, because she didn't really know that many boys. And Teddy seemed the most logical because they _had_ known each other since…well, since the famous jelly incident, which no-one but Uncle Ron talked about, because he liked making people uncomfortable. Victoire liked Uncle Ron, and so did Teddy, because he actually told them things. That was another reason Teddy was perfect. They were practically the same person. They liked the same things, hated the same things, and were ambivalent about almost all the same stuff too.

Anyway, anyway. So now, what that meant, was that she was in the library, and she was eavesdropping on Teddy and some 'study partner' who was giggling inanely and flicking her horrid blonde hair over her shoulder at every given opportunity. Victoire hated her. She was almost certain Teddy hated her too, because of the way he kept…laughing…at her jokes. Not the point.

"So, did that help at all?"

Victoire shifted a little in her seat, trying to get a better view. Blondie was flicking her hair again, batting her eyelashes maniacally. Victoire made a face.

"Oh, yes," she heard the ditz breathe, and saw her lean towards Teddy out of the corner of her eye, putting a hand softly on his arm. Victoire made a soft growling noise in the back of her throat. That vapid little bint. How _dare_ she flirt with Victoire's future boyfriend like that? She saw Teddy chuckle and remove her hand carefully. Victoire nearly did a victory dance, but thought it might cause a little too much attention.

"That's great, Dor. Remember, if you ever need any more help, I'm always free."

Ditzy giggled airily and stood up, brushing her hair out of her blue eyes. Horrid blue eyes, Victoire decided. Far too much sparkle in them.

"Thanks, Teddy. You're really too indulgent with me," ditzy laughed, letting her long fingers drape over his shoulder.

"You're really too indulgent with me," Victoire mimicked under her breath, making a face as she drew pointy little hearts all over her parchment.

She heard the chair being pushed back on the floor; a faint screeching noise that she wouldn't have found annoying if she weren't concentrating so hard on the footsteps. There was another airy laugh, which had her grinding her teeth, and then a 'bye, Teddy!' which somehow managed to sound like everything that Victoire found unpleasant. She waited for a few more moments, tearing a small hole in her parchment as she drew another frustrated heart.

"Hey, Vic!"

Victoire kept her head down, pretending to be focussed on homework. Her hair hid her face in an auburn curtain. I definitely need to get something for the frizz, Victoire thought in exasperation, trying to see through the cloud of hair, and being largely unsuccessful. Teddy's lovely, vaguely I've-been-chewing-on-asphalt-y voice sat down beside her.

"Heya," he said as he shifted in his chair. Victoire made a 'meh' sort of noise, and didn't look up. Lately, Teddy had been making her feel all funny inside, and it wasn't anything to do with the fact that he'd given her cockroach clusters again.

The thing was, even though Victoire had tried to convince herself that the only reason she wanted Teddy to be her boyfriend was because it was logical, there was a certain amount of…well, Something Else involved too. So she couldn't look up, in case she was a funny colour, or, or…if she snorted or something. What was strangest was the fact that before thinking about Teddy as anything more than a childish friend, they'd been able to talk so easily, and about anything. Why was it so different now? When she actually _wanted_ to make a good impression?

"Oh, that's nice," Teddy said, his voice sort of half-laughing, "'meh'. What a nice way to greet your best friend. Honestly, no, I'm touched."

Victoire rolled her eyes and looked up at him, ready to say something both biting and witty, but her breath caught in her throat at the sight of him. Oh, wonderful, how terribly impressive. Now she could win him over with her fabulous stunned mullet impressions. Oh, the boys _loved_ those.

"Are you alright?" Teddy asked, looking a little concerned. He put a hand up to his chin. "Have I got something on my face?"

Victoire snorted. "Yes, you do. Oh, no, wait; it's just your nose. Sorry. It gave me a bit of a shock, that's all."

Teddy narrowed his eyes at her. "Oh, onto that now, are we? Well, miss I-don't-have-a-thing-wrong-with-me, how's _this_ for a shocking nose?"

She glanced up at him again and went off into hysterics at the serious look on his face, his new pig's nose twitching.

"Gorgeous," she said through her giggles, "but I must say, I prefer the rat one."

Teddy huffed and crossed his arms, his face shivering a little as he changed his nose again. "Fine, then," he said sulkily, leaning over to Victoire and sniffing at her hair with his rat's nose. Victoire yelped and batted him away, laughing. How was it that he made her so uncomfortable sometimes, and other times she was totally at ease again? It didn't make any sense.

"Much better," she laughed, and he looked down with a grin, his dark hair falling in his eyes. After a moment, he frowned a little, and then picked up the piece of parchment that Victoire had been doodling on.

"Who's 'T'?" he asked, chewing his lip as he looked at the little heart around the spiky 'T'. Victoire made a 'meep' sound.

"Oh, uh…uhm…er…oh, oh…just…just…someone," she said lamely, flushing bright pink. Teddy gave her a searching look, and then laughed.

"It's Thomas Young, isn't it?" he asked, still laughing. Victoire laughed anxiously. Here's the perfect opportunity, Vic, she told herself. The perfect opportunity to tell him.

"Y-yes," Victoire said, thankfully grabbing onto the excuse. And perfect opportunity wasted, she scolded herself. Teddy had a funny look on his face, but he was still laughing. Sort of half-heartedly, though. He's probably realised that I wouldn't have a chance with Thomas, Victoire thought gloomily, and he's wondering whether he'll have to tell me.

Teddy cleared his throat and Victoire looked up at him.

"I'm sure you'll be on a date with Thomas soon, Vic," he said lightly, "you always get what you want, eh? Fleur's daughter and all."

Victoire made a sort of 'ungh' noise and pulled on her ear. Yup. She definitely got _everything_ she wanted. Teddy rested his hand on her shoulder as he pulled himself to his feet.

"See you, kid," he said, ruffling her hair, "good luck with Thomas!"

Victoire watched him forlornly as he walked out of the library, waving at her as he changed his nose again, a little rabbit this time, laughing. Kid, she thought miserably. He thinks I'm a kid.

-

Victoire stretched her legs out so that the fire in the common room grate sent little crackles of light over her bare skin.

"Kid," she muttered to herself, screwing up her third ruined essay and throwing it to the floor. "Who does he think he is? Bloody, bloody."

"Who are you swearing at?" Teddy asked, swinging easily into the room. Victoire started guiltily.

"Huh? Oh…Thomas," she said weakly, grabbing at another piece of parchment and pulling it towards her. Teddy sat down in an armchair across from her, his fringe falling in his eyes. He pushed it away with the back of his hand.

"Oh? What happened?"

"Erm…asked him on a date," Victoire invented, glaring at the blossom of ink forming on her fourth piece of parchment.

"And?" Teddy asked, leaning forward a little in his chair. Victoire swore as she tore a hole in her fifth piece of parchment. Stupid Teddy, making her ruin her essay with his bloody gorgeous…everything.

"Uhm…he said I reminded him too much of a spider. He doesn't like spiders," she explained, pulling another piece of parchment towards her. Teddy looked furious.

"Did you punch him?" he asked, his hair turning a sort of blue-green which Victoire found strangely attractive.

"Oh, yeah. Yeah. Next time you see him, Ted, he'll have a great black eye. I hit him hard. That stupid arse," she said, feeling rather like she was made of…clouds, or sunsets. Teddy cared about her. Really did, even if it was only in an older-brother kind of way. It didn't matter, though. Teddy _cared_.

Teddy glared suspiciously at her. "You don't sound very angry."

Victoire looked at him, feeling absurdly guilty for her sub-par acting abilities.

"Oh…uhm, your hair's blue," she said quickly, hoping to change the subject. Teddy put a hand up to his hair and pulled down a little blue tuft, looking at it cross-eyed.

"So it is," he said, letting go of it. It stayed stubbornly in his eyes. "So, you really like this Thomas bloke?" he asked, pushing his hair away again. Victoire squinted at him, wondering what he was up to.

"You're the one who said I did," she said after a moment, and Teddy frowned.

"What do you mean by that?" he asked, and Victoire swallowed. What _did_ she mean by that?

"Oh, only…you know, you guessed…back in the library that I…oh, Teddy, _honestly_."

"'Oh, Teddy, honestly', what?" Teddy asked, still frowning. Victoire sighed, leaning back in her chair.

"I was lying, alright? I don't like Thomas. He's an arse. And anyway, he probably _would_ say something like that to me; about the spider I mean. Teddy, Teddy…I…urgh."

Victoire felt his gaze on her as she put her head in her hands. It was much too difficult, telling a boy that you liked them. Weren't they just meant to _know_?

"I…" she began, and then put her head back in her hands, feeling hopeless. She couldn't tell him. She just couldn't, because no matter what her mother said, there was no changing the fact that she _didn't_ get everything she wanted, and no amount of 'figure out what you want, then get it' pep talks were going to change that. Because she was half-Weasley, too.

"You?" Teddy prompted her, and she looked up at him again. Oh, he was so bloody gorgeous. What was wrong with her? She couldn't even look at him without wanting to snog him senseless. Maybe she could just get up and kiss him. Actions speak louder than words and all that. Then again, if he were to push her off or something, well. She would just have to die of embarrassment. No, talking was better.

"I…Teddy, you know how we've been…"

"Yeah?" Teddy asked, looking confused.

"We've been friends for ages, right?"

"Sure. You're like family to me," Teddy said, smiling. Oh God, Victoire thought, wanting to moan theatrically and fall back on the chair. Instead, she got to her feet and paced a bit. No need to go all French on Teddy.

"Right. Right, and…and…look, Teddy, what do you think we are?"

"What do you mean?" Teddy asked, looking bemused. Victoire turned on her heel.

"Uhm…I mean, what do you think _we_ are? I mean, what is our relationship…_based on_, I suppose."

"Er…friendship?" Teddy said carefully, and Victoire glared at the plaid sofa in the corner of the common room. Really, it was a horrid colour. Someone should set it on fire. She took a deep breath before speaking.

"And…and, do you think…I don't know…would there be a possibility of…of…our relationship being based on something else?"

Teddy laughed; a short, sharp bark, then settled to biting his lip. "Vic, if you're trying to tell me that you don't want to be friends any more, then just say it. Our relationship based on…what? Distance?"

She saw green, not red, but that could have been the disgusting plaid sofa.

"Teddy, what the hell are you on about?" Victoire growled, whirling around, "more importantly, what are you _on_? I'm bloody…I'm trying to ask you whether you like me or not, and you're bloody going on about bloody not seeing each other! What the bloody hell?"

She heard Teddy take a sharp intake of breath, and he stared at her. "Like you?" he asked, and his voice caught in his throat. Victoire turned away, feeling all the anger slide out of her, to be replaced by a strong feeling of desolation and gloom.

"Yeah, ok. I get it, you don't like me like that, whatever. You know, don't make it…just…forget it."

"Like you?" Teddy repeated, looking as if he hadn't heard a word of what Victoire had said. He stood up unsteadily, pulling on his ear.

"Vic…" he said, and put his hand out, swallowing, "I can't…"

"Yes, I know," Victoire snapped, turning away, "don't worry about it, alright? I'll ask _Thomas_ to go out with me. Seems you approve of him."

"No, I don't," Teddy said, and he was right in her ear. She turned around, managing to connect foreheads with him. She put a hand up to her head, feeling incredibly embarrassed.

"Ow," she said, mortified. Teddy smiled lopsidedly, rubbing his own head.

"Yeah, ow. You know, Vic…we've got something special, don't you think?"

"What? An ability to connect foreheads with magnetic speed?" Victoire asked, rubbing her head, her cheeks flushed. Teddy grinned.

"Yeah, that too. But, see…don't you think it's cool that we can have something embarrassing happen in the middle of a serious conversation, and it's still ok? You know…we're that close. You're such a great girl, Vic. I really love being your friend."

"And you don't want to put that in danger by telling me that you don't like me like that, but here's a compliment to get you better?" Victoire said, nodding. She swallowed the lump in her throat, closing her eyes tightly.

Teddy smiled, putting his arms around her. Victoire stiffened a little at the unexpected contact, and then relaxed into him. He pressed his lips to the top of her head.

"Not quite. See, Vic…the thing is, I really love being your friend, and I love how close we are. And I think the only thing that could possibly be better between us was if…we were closer. Yeah?"

Victoire looked up at him in confusion, and he swallowed, still grinning, before taking a breath and leaning in to kiss her. She leant up a little, and their mouths touched gently for the first time. Oh, Victoire thought as his hand slid into her hair. Logic isn't in it.

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_**AN:** So. What didja think? Review and I shall know!_


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